Jeff Briggs is the proprietor of a wayside inn, the Half-way House. One night during a violent storm stagecoach driver Yuba Bill and a male passenger come in. The man's wife and daughter are still in the coach which is some distance away. Yuba Bill fetches the wife and Jeff brings in the daughter. He thinks he is carrying a child and soothes her accordingly. Once inside he finds the daughter to be Jessie, a beautiful young woman. They are instantly smitten although neither will admit it. Aside from stagecoach robbers, the major plot complication is Jeff's pride and Jessie's money. The text for this story may be found at www.gutenberg.org. Search authors for Harte, Bret.